55 years and 5 states: What we know about Thomas Collier Jordan's life of crime

Thomas Collier Jordan has a criminal history that spanned more than 50 years and included arrests in states from Ohio to California.

Jordan, who died in Arizona in 2009, recently was tied through DNA testing to a teen's rape and another woman's rape and murder in Summit County in 1987. He's also suspected in the rape of an Akron woman that same year.

Investigators have shared information on Jordan with law enforcement across the country to see if he can be tied to any other cold cases.

Serial rapist and killer: Who was Thomas Collier Jordan?

Here's what we know — based on public records, interviews and news clippings — about Jordan's life of crime:

1926 - Jan. 28: Born in Cleveland.

1943 - Oct. 16: First arrest. In Cleveland; details unknown.

1948 - June 9: Arrested for trespassing on private property in Louisiana, likely New Orleans, using alias of Robert Smith.

1949 - April 22: Arrested for stealing a car in Lansing, Michigan, using the alias of Robert Smith Jr. Arrested again June 8 on an unknown charge and incarcerated at Jackson State Prison in Jackson, Michigan.

1953 - May 20: Arrested on warrant for failure to pay shoplifting fine in Detroit.

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1959 - Feb. 28: Convicted of grand larceny in Trumbull County, Ohio, for stealing items from cars in motel parking lots. Paroled Feb. 25, 1960.

1961 - Jan. 6: While on parole, arrested in a series of home burglaries and questioned in the stabbing of an East Cleveland woman. Convicted of the burglaries. Paroled March 30, 1970. Violated parole and returned to prison in June 1970. Paroled in July 1971. Violated parole and returned to finish sentence in April 1972.

1972 - June 1: Convicted in Geauga County, Ohio, of malicious entry. Paroled in January 1975. Violated parole in March 1976.

1976 - Feb. 24: Convicted in Geauga County for rape, stabbing and burglary. Sentenced to up to 82 years. Paroled Feb. 24, 1985.

1987 - In 2024, DNA tied him to the May 25 rape of Michelle Puett at a Cuyahoga Falls park, and the Aug. 10 rape and murder of Janice Christensen on a Hudson trail.

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1992 - Nov. 18: Arrested in Yuma, Arizona, on an unknown charge.

1998 - April 17: Arrested in El Centro, California, for drug trafficking. While serving sentence, charged with distributing marijuana in prison. Received supervised release in August 2001.

2009 - July 5: Died of natural causes in Yuma, Arizona, at the age of 83.

2024 - April: Jordan's body is exhumed by Ohio officials. Jordan is connected through DNA testing to the 1987 rape of Michelle Puett and the 1987 rape and murder of Janice Christensen. He is also now suspected in the rape of a young Akron mother on April 24, 1987.

Sources: Ohio Attorney General's Office, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Akron and Hudson police departments, Newspapers.com and Beacon Journal archives.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 55 years and 5 states: What we know about Thomas Collier Jordan's life of crime